Advancements of Ancient India's Vedic Culture: The Planet's Earliest Civilization and How it Influenced the World

by Stephen Knapp

This book shows how the planet’s earliest civilization lead the world in both material and spiritual progress. From the Vedic culture of ancient India thousands of years ago, we find the origins of such things as mathematics, especially algebra and geometry, as well as early astronomy and planetary observations, many instances of which can be read in the historical Vedic texts. Medicine in Ayurveda was also the first to prescribe herbs for the remedy of disease, surgical instruments for operations, and more. Other developments that were far superior and ahead of the rest of the world • Writing and language, especially the development of sophisticated Sanskrit; • Metallurgy and making the best known steel at the time; • Ship building and global maritime trade; • Textiles and the dying of fabric for which India was known all over the world; • Agricultural and botanical achievements; • Precise Vedic arts in painting, dance and music; • The educational systems and the most famous of the early universities, like Nalanda and Takshashila; • The source of individual freedom and fair government, and the character and actions of rulers; • Military and the earliest of martial arts; • Along with some of the most intricate, deep and profound of all philosophies and spiritual paths, which became the basis of many religions that followed later around the world. These and more are the developments that came from India, much of which has been forgotten, but should again be recognized as the heritage of the ancient Indian Vedic tradition that continues to inspire humanity.

Genres: India, History

374 pages, Paperback

First published June 8, 2012

About the author

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Reviews

[Priya Mishra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be used as a history textbook for Indians.

[Venkat Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An illuminating book, definitely worth reading.

This book seems to be like a meticulously expanded version of Swami Vivekananda's lecture on "India's Gift to the World" in which he spoke of the wondrous beauties of India "where stood the earliest cradle of ethics, arts, sciences, and literature," and he showed in rapid details, what India has given to the world (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 9 Vols. Volume 2, pages 510-513).

This is a scrupulously researched book. It presents facts with proper citations and argues its point forcefully.

The first record of an organized and developed society was the Vedic culture that arose in ancient India with the Indus-Sarasvati civilization. The book succinctly devotes one chapter to each of 18 areas in which India has influenced the world: language, mathematics, astronomy, architecture, medicine, textiles, metallurgy, agriculture, arts, maritime developments, advanced cities, education, economics, environmentalism, governance, military, airplanes, games (18 chapters out of the total of 25 chapters in the book).

Credit has to be given where it is due.